CVE-2026-23817 in AOS-CX
Summary
by MITRE • 03/11/2026
A vulnerability in the web-based management interface of AOS-CX Switches could allow an unauthenticated remote attacker to redirect users to an arbitrary URL.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2026-23817 represents a critical security flaw within the web-based management interface of AOS-CX Switches, a widely deployed networking solution in enterprise environments. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the switch's authentication system, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the web interface behavior without requiring any valid credentials or prior access to the network infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through improper handling of user-supplied input parameters within the switch's web management portal. When users navigate to certain endpoints or interact with specific interface elements, the system fails to properly sanitize or encode user-provided data before incorporating it into HTTP redirect responses. This weakness creates an open redirect vulnerability that allows attackers to craft malicious URLs containing crafted redirect parameters that will be executed by the switch's web server. The flaw operates at the application layer and specifically affects the switch's user authentication and session management components, which are critical for maintaining network security boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection attacks and presents significant risks to enterprise network security. An unauthenticated attacker can exploit this weakness to perform phishing attacks against network administrators by redirecting them to malicious sites that appear to be legitimate switch management interfaces. This opens doors for credential theft, session hijacking, and potential privilege escalation attacks. The vulnerability affects the integrity of the switch's web interface and undermines the trust model between administrators and the management system, potentially leading to unauthorized network access or configuration changes. Network defenders face challenges in detecting such attacks since they appear to originate from legitimate management interfaces.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including disabling unnecessary web management interfaces when not required, implementing network segmentation to isolate switch management traffic, and deploying web application firewalls to monitor and filter suspicious redirect patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-601 which categorizes open redirect vulnerabilities as a serious concern in web applications, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol tunneling. Organizations should also consider implementing strict access controls, monitoring for anomalous redirect behaviors, and ensuring that all network devices receive regular security updates. The flaw demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices in web applications, particularly in critical infrastructure components where unauthorized access could lead to significant network compromise.